Fugitive nabbed by Marshal's new text tip service

A Monroe man who has been on the run from the law for 23 years was arrested Tuesday thanks to a new texting tip service offered by the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Detroit.

Shannon Gene Ring, 46, was taken into custody by the Marshal-led Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team (DFAT) on the 400 block of Antoinette in Detroit without incident, according to the marshal’s office. He had only been back in Michigan from California for a day when the DFAT received a text tip that led to his capture.

An arrest warrant was issued for Ring back in 1989 after he failed to show up for a probation violation hearing. He initially was arrested for manufacturing and delivering a controlled substance, marijuana.

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On Tuesday he was transported to the Monroe County Jail and will be arraigned later this week.

Deputy U.S. Marshal Kevin Pettit said the arrest underscores the usefulness of the agency’s new text tip system that allows the public to send anonymous tips via text message.

Tipsters can send information to the task force by texting the keyword “DFAT” and the tip to 847411 (tip411). Pettit said the technology is available from a company called Citizen Observer, which specializes in providing the service to law enforcement agencies. As a third party, Citizen Observer keeps the tipster’s phone number anonymous to police unless the tipster chooses to identify themselves.

U.S. Marshal Robert Grubbs said he’s optimistic the new service will lead to more arrests in the future just as the tip phone line has done in the past.

“This new tool provides the public with yet another method of delivering valuable information to our task force to utilize when pursuing these wanted fugitives,” Grubbs said in a statement.

The Detroit Fugitive Apprehension Team is composed of federal, state, and local fugitive hunters in the Eastern District of Michigan. More information on the Marshal’s Office is available at www.usmarshal.gov.